Token dispensing device



1966 M. s. NONESTIED TOKEN DISPENSING DEVICE Filed y 11, 1964 FIG. 1

FIG. 5

FIG. 2

INVENTOR MART/Iv SNONESTIED ATTORNEY United States Patent 3,228,556TOKEN DISPENSING DEVICE Martin S. Nonestied, 1464 MeCrea Place,Plainfield, NJ. Filed May 11, 1964, Ser. No. 366,384 4 Claims. (Cl.221279) The present invention relates to dispensing devices and moreparticularly to a device for dispensing tokens or markers used in gamesof amusement such as Lotto, Bingo, or the like.

One of the objects of the present in vention is to provide a tokendispensing device which is easily operable by one hand to dispensetokens one at a time in rapid succession at desired locations on a gameboard or card.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a token dispensingdevice that is operable to dispense a single token at a chosen locationon a game board or card by merely pressing the delivery end of thedispenser down upon the card or board at the desired location.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a dispensingdevice having the above features which is easily loaded with a pluralityof tokens and one wherein the number of tokens in the dispenser after aperiod of use is easily determined or estimated.

Still another object of the present invention is to provide a dispensingdevice that is relatively cheap and easy to manufacture and one whereinthe several parts thereof are not likely to become separated during theuse thereof in dispensing tokens.

The above and further objects and features of the present invention willbe more apparent in the following detailed description of the preferredembodiment thereof wherein reference is made to the accompanyingdrawings in the latter of which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the dispensing device of the presentinvention;

FIG. 2 is a vertical sectional view taken substantially on line 22 ofFIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a horizontal sectional view taken on line 3- 3 of FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is a bottom end view of the dispenser; and

FIG. 5 is a view partly in section taken on line 5-5 of FIG. 2.

Referring now to the drawings, reference numeral 11 indicates in generalthe dispensing tube of the device which may be of any suitable material,preferably plastic, which is closed at one end, as at 12, and open atthe other end. Where the tokens 13 are of the usual circular or discshape, the dispensing tube 11 will be of cylindrical cross-section withan inside diameter slightly greater than the diameter of the tokens 13so that the tokens are free to move and stack therein.

The botom or discharge end of the dispensing tube 11 is open andattached thereto is the so-called token retaining ring 14. The retainingring 14 fits over the reduced diameter section 16 at the end of the tube11 and has formed therein inwardly projecting pins 17 adapted to engagelips or surfaces 18 or slots 19 in the section 16 of the tube 11 to holdthe two units together. A slight turning of the retaining ring 14 withrespect to the tube 11 to move the pins 17 into alignment with the axialpart of the slots 19 permits the retaining ring to be separated from thetube 11. With the retaining ring 14 removed, the tube can easily beloaded with a supply of tokens 13 which assume a slacked positiontherein.

Positioned within the retaining ring 14, at the end of the tube 11 andat shoulder 21 on the inside of the ring 14 is a circular element 22having a series of teeth 23 along the lower edge thereof. The teeth 23extend inwardly at a slight angle to the axis of the tube and areflexible. The element 22 may be made of suitable ma- 3,228,556 PatentedJan. 11, 1966 terial such as spring brass, for example, and the teeth 23thereof are adapted to prevent the tokens 13 from freely falling out ofthe tube 11.

The tube 11 has a pair of diametrically opposed axial slots 24 thereinextending a substantial part of its length and extending through theseslots are pins 26. The outer ends of the pins 26 have knurled thumb andfinger gripping heads 27 and the inner ends of the pins are suitablyanchored or fixed in appropriate openings in a relatively shortcylindrical member 28 hereinafter called a token pusher. The pusher 28is slightly less in diameter than the inner diameter of the tube 11 andhas a circular groove 29 in the periphery thereof in which is mounted aring of suitable friction material 31 such as felt or the like. The felt31 prevents the token pusher 28 from freely moving in the tube and aswill be hereinafter apparent provides sufiicient friction between thepusher and the tube to enable the dispenser to be picked up by graspingthe thumb and finger heads 27 without movement of the pusher 28 relativeto the tube 11 even with the tube 11 substantially full of tokens.

In using the dispenser of the present invention, the heads 27 aregrasped by the thumb and forefinger and the lower end placed over or onthe location where it is desired to deposit a token. A downward pressureis then exerted on the heads 27 which forces the lowermost token engagedby the teeth 23 of the ring 22 to be forced out of engagement therewithand permits the teeth to engage and retain the next above token. Thedispenser can then be raised and the lowermost token will be left on theboard. The location of the teeth 23 above the extreme end of thedispenser are such with respect to the thickness of the tokens that onlyone token at a time will be deposited.

From the above description of the preferred embodiment of my invention,it will be apparent that I have provided a token dispenser of novelconstruction with a number of advantages over those heretoforeavailable. The advantages include a dispenesr having a uniform lengthwhether loaded, partly loaded or empty of token, positive feed of thetokens in depositing, one where the supply of tokens in the dispenser isreadily apparent at all times and one from which the tokens can easilybe dispensed at desired locations in very rapid succession.

While the invention has been described in but its preferred embodiment,it will be obvious that various modifications can be made thereinwithout departing from spirit or essential attributes thereof and it isdesired therefore that only such limitations be placed thereon as areimposed by the appended claims.

What I claim as my invention is:

1. A token dispenser comprising a hollow cylindrical casing forcontaining a stack of tokens, said casing being closed at one end andhaving the other end open, a token retaining ring, means for releasablyattaching said ring to the open end of said casing, said means includingaxially extending pins on said ring engageable with slots adjacent theopen end of said casing, said retaining ring being resiliently held onthe inner surface thereof, a resiliently expandable toothed memberadapted to resiliently engage the inner surface of said ring with theteeth thereof extending inwardly and adapted to yieldingly engage thelowermost one of a stack of tokens in said casing to normally retain thestack of tokens therein, a token pusher in said casing above saidtokens, a pair of diametrically opposed axial slots in said casing, apair of pins extending through said slots with the inner ends thereofanchored in said pusher and the outer ends having enlarged fingergripping heads on the exterior of said casing, means including saidfinger gripping heads to manually apply pressure to said token pusherand the stack of: tokens insaid; casing to discharge the lowermost oneof the stack from engagement with said toothed resilient member withsaid resilient member being spaced a predetermined distance abovethe'lowermost end of said retaining ring. to permit only a predeterminednumber of tokens-to be discharged past said'mernber when the lower endof said retaining ring is in engagement with a token receiving surface.

2. The token dispenser as set forth in claim 1 and including resilientfrictional means on said token pusher andengaging the inner walls ofsaid casing whereby there is no relative axial movement between thepusher and the casing when the dispenser is lifted by the fingergripping heads from the token receiving. surface.

3'. A token dispenser comprising a hollow cylindrical casing, forcontaining a plurality of tokens in a stacked condition, said casingbeing open atone end and closed at the other, a ringat the open end ofsaid casing, means including axially extending pins on said ringengageable with slots on said casing for removably securing said ring tosaid casing, said ring having on the inner circumference thereof meansfor resiliently engaging the periphery of the lowermostltoken of thestack contained in said ber of tokens to move past said token engagingmeans.

when the lower end of said ring is placed on a token receiving surfaceand'pressure applied to said token pusher.

4. The token dispenser as set forth in claim 3 and including means onsaid token pusher adapted tofrictionally engage the inner walls of saidcasing to premit said, dispenser to be lifted by said finger grippingmeans Without v movement ofsaid pusher in said casing.

ReferenceslCited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 20 2,294,001 8/1942, Ritter 221-279 2,431,121 11/1947 Hunter 221279 2,623,803 12/1952Gamble 221227 FOREIGN PATENTS 568,241 10/ 1957 Italy.

LOUIS J; DEMBO, Primary Examiner.

WALTER SOBIN, Examiner.

1. A TOKEN DISPENSER COMPRISING A HOLLOW CYLINDRICAL CASING FORCONTAINING A STACK OF TOKENS, SAID CASING BEING CLOSED AT ONE END ANDHAVING THE OTHER END OPEN, A TOKEN RETAINING RING, MEANS FOR RELEASABLYATTACHING SAID RING TO THE OPEN END OF SAID CASING, SAID MEANS INCLUDINGAXIALLY EXTENDING PINS ON SAID RING ENGAGEABLE WITH SLOTS ADJACENT THEOPEN END OF SAID CASING, SAID RETAINING RING BEING RESILIENTLY HELD ONTHE INNER SURFACE THEREOF, A RESILIENTLY EXPANDABLE TOOTHED MEMBERADAPTED TO RESILIENTLY ENAGAGE THE INNER SURFACE OF SAID RING WITH THETEETH THEREOF EXTENDING INWARDLY AND ADAPTED TO YIELDINGLY ENGAGE THELOWERMOST ONE OF A STACK OF TOKENS IN SAID CASING TO NORMALLY RETAIN THESTACK OF TOKENS THEREIN, A TOKEN PUSHER IN SAID CASING ABOVE SAIDTOKENS, A PAIR OF DIAMETRICALLY OPPOSED AXIAL SLOTS IN SAID CASING, APAIR OF PINS EXTENDING THROUGH SAID SLOTS WITH THE INNER ENDS THEREOFANCHORED IN SAID PUSHER AND THE OUTER ENDS HAVING ENLARGED FINGERGRIPPING HEADS ON THE EXTERIOR OF SAID CASING, MEANS INCLUDING SAIDFINGER GRIPPING HEADS TO MANUALLY APPLY PRESSURE TO SAID TOKEN PUSHERAND THE STACK OF TOKENS IN SAID CASING TO DISCHARGE THE LOWERMOST ONE OFTHE STACK FROM ENGAGEMENT WITH SAID TOOTHED RESILIENT MEMBER WITH SAIDRESILIENT MEMBER BEING SPACED IN PREDETERMINED DISTANCE ABOVE THELOWERMOST END OF SAID RETAINING RING TO PERMIT ONLY A PREDETERMINEDNUMBER OF TOKENS TO BE DISCHARGED PAST SAID MEMBER WHEN THE LOWER END OFSAID RETAINING RING IS IN ENGAGEMENT WITH A TOKEN RECEIVING SURFACE.